KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will meet the swimming fraternity in the near future to get their views for the process of defining a more comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP).
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the enhanced SOP would then be presented to the National Security Council (MKN) and Health Ministry (MOH) for approval.
He stressed that the ministry was in the process of enhancing the existing SOP to enable swimming activities to operate as usual.
“We have received a lot of responses and queries regarding swimming activities after yesterday’s announcement (to allow the public to carry out indoor and outdoor sports and recreational activities that do not involve body contact from June 15).
“The government understands the public’s anxiety as all swimming pool activities are still among activities that are not allowed to be carried out under the second phase of the reopening of the sports sector,” he said in a brief statement issued by KBS yesterday.
Earlier, Reezal Merican held a meeting with National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, National Youth and Sports Department deputy director-general Mohd Azhari Mohamad and Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) honorary secretary Mae Chen in Putrajaya yesterday to refine the SOP for swimming before it is presented to MKN and MOH.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in announcing the recovery movement control order (RMCO) on Sunday, had announced that among the activities allowed to be carried out were team training and sports activities that do not involve body contact such as bowling, badminton and archery.
Among the activities still not allowed are competitions or games involving large crowds of supporters or spectators, swimming and the operation of public swimming pools, and contact sports such as rugby, wrestling, boxing, football, basketball and hockey.
— Bernama
